Madness is to headline a new four-day music and circus festival at Gunnersbury Park next summer.
The band will top the bill at the first London edition of Rock N Roll Circus on Saturday 24 July 2027, with Fat Freddy’s Drop, Big Special, The Wailers and Hollie Cook also confirmed for the day. Organisers say further acts will be announced.
The band is the latest big name act to be announced following the confirmation of planning permission for the venue. Simply Red, Soul 2 Soul and Lisa Stansfield will also be appearing in 2027.
Rock N Roll Circus will run at the park from 22 to 25 July 2027, combining live music with circus performers, food, drink and other entertainment. The event already has editions in Norwich and Sheffield but this will be its first in the capital.
The Gunnersbury Park appearance is being billed as Madness’s only outdoor summer show in London next year. The group, formed in Camden in the 1970s, are marking five decades of music. Suggs said: “Calling all Madheads and madhatters, join us next July in the great outdoors for Rock n Roll Circus. Bring your friends, bring your family and come dance in Gunnersbury Park London. Yes London we are back!” Festival director Ali O’Reilly said Madness were an appropriate choice to lead the event’s first wave of London announcements.
She said: “Madness is a part of London’s musical history and a band whose songs have been passed from one generation to the next. That really fits what Rock N Roll Circus is about. You can come with your friends, your family, bring the kids for their first festival-style experience, or come because you’ve followed Madness for decades.
“To have Madness headlining our first London edition at Gunnersbury Park, during such a landmark period in their career, is incredibly exciting. And with Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Wailers and Hollie Cook joining them, we’re already building a fantastic day of music and circus!”
The organisers have also announced a partnership with the National Centre for Circus Arts, whose graduates already include performers in the Rock N Roll Circus company.
Dan Cowdrill, CEO of the National Centre for Circus Arts, said the organisation was “really excited” to be involved as the festival comes to London. Rock N Roll Circus was launched in 2022 and describes its format as an immersive Big Top experience combining major music acts with circus performance. Its previous events have featured performers including Queens of the Stone Age, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Self Esteem, The Streets and Richard Ashcroft.
A residents’ ticket pre-sale is due to begin on Tuesday 29 September, followed by the general pre-sale on Wednesday 30 September and the full public sale on Friday 2 October. Rock N Roll Circus takes place at Gunnersbury Park from 22-25 July 2027, with Madness headlining on Saturday 24 July.